$25K worth of scholarship, DC trip up for grabs

All local high school students of the CNMI are invited to apply for a scholarship that could win them an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C. and a whopping $25,000 worth of scholarship.

Veterans of Foreign Wars Saipan Post 3457 commander Barry Hirshbein said students of the Commonwealth should take this chance of a lifetime as the organization announced the kick-off of this year’s VFW and Lady Auxiliary “Voice of Democracy Scholarship Competition.”

Hirshbein said all high school students from grades 9 to 12 will have the opportunity to compete in the 59th annual audio essay competition and win thousands of dollars in scholarship, a trip to Washington, D.C., among dozens of special awards.

He said students begin by competing at the local Post level and the Post winners will advance to the District level.

District level winners will then proceed to compete in the state competition. The state winner, he said, will enjoy a four-day tour of Washington, D.C. along with the winners from every state, the District of Columbia, the Pacific, Latin American or the Caribbean, and Europe.

Leslie Cabrera, a valedictorian graduate of the Northern Marianas Academy, won all the above prizes including the financial rewards last year, said Hirshbein.

Hirshbein said that the VFW and its Ladies Auxiliary have been involved with Voice of Democracy for more than 57 years. In that span of time, more than seven million high school students have participated in the competition. Students compete by writing and then recording a three- to five-minute audio essay expressing their views of a theme every year.

This year’s theme would be “How Do I Demonstrate My Freedom”.

He said all state winners receive at least $1,000 national scholarship but any one of them could win the $25,000 first-place award. A total of $143,500 in national scholarships is awarded to student national finalists in addition to the scholarships and awards given at the preliminary levels of competition.

The deadline for interested entries will be on Nov. 1, 2005. He said students, teachers and parents could contact the Voice of Democracy chair John Davis at VFW Post 3457 at tel. nos. 287-9803 or 235-4839. Interested applicants may also visit their office for more information.